Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-05-29
DlSBANDED.
TEE fED or THE ApcIsar GUILD OF
CROSS BOWMAN.
The Last Fntertainmen, Something
About The LOng-Bow and the
CToss. Bow in War.
fTordon Tolcgrnph.i


I'd at Ghent by the dissolution of the
Ancient Child of Cross-bow men in that
city. It had existed with unbrokcn
dignity since the Eleventh century, but
with cver-dimInishing utility. since
crcss-hows aud long-bovs are no longer
IN fashion and the society came lately
70 the conclusion that 1t had ceased to
have any iGisOH acre. Accordingly,
il has "liquidatcd." It's massive plate
hes al been sold, including a superb
chased silver cup, pre:entel to the
association by the Archdukc Albert
ard the Archduchess Isabella, which
has now become the property Of Baron
Ro,bschild, at the price of 25.9O0
francs. The closing hours of the old
guild were celebrated 10y banquet. at
which it is not TO be doubted that the
hurcLers toasted as proudly as did
those Of Antwerp. who, when they
were entertained by the Prince OF
Orange. finding their benches hard,
spIcad their iewellod velvet cioaks
over them, and afterwards left them 70
the lackoys, saying : We do not
carry away our dinncr-cUahions '
nttr this final act Of comradc-
ship. when the antique cross-bows
wee hung upon the tapestry for the
last time. and the great pnrcel-Silt
goblet Of the association, bfimmed with
sriced Rhcnisb, went round for the
ultimate toast. the members sLli bud a
matter Of 10,CC0 puillor- in hand. This
SUM they transmitted to the Charity
Commission of Client. ami Herewith
the ,,istencc Of the antique contra
tcmity terminated. Great and famous
are The men WHO have belonged to Il IN
hvpone DAYS It's sturdy burghcrs and
the stalWart mcn-at-arms malntainad
and drilled by them were the terror Of
the Duke Of Await anything could
ever terrify lhat fierce and arrogant sol
der. who in sixty years Of warfare was
never once beaten or surprised. In his
time the society pOWcrm The Siate {;
centre of patriotic resistance a91lnst
the merciless Spaniard. who conspircd
with Charles j.. and Catharinc OF
Nlcdicis to massacre the Hugueuots.
For five dreadful years Ava ruled the
Low Countries with a rod Of iron and
made them literally run with blood.
Tor as many as lS,COO victims persisted
bv LIS orders upon the sca.iold,
besides thc yest numbers slain in the
field and in sicecs Egmont, Prime
Of GIavre. one of those slaughtered
Nv the bitter Don, Was mem-
her Of the Cross-Bow Guild Of
Client. The great Count, "a
he was called. has perhaps been
treated better than ire deserved by his
tory, Tor hi, IrotostantiSm WIS %.
dcultml sincerity, ana tine way ID
which he broke with the Prince OF
Grunge and the "EccgaIs Lca21n '
70 make approaches TO the savage bCka
ard tie rmtv OF Phillip OF Spain was
worse tbm sus;icious. Yet ne Il'd
heavily tor his iUlt-if 1t were ou'-
for Ava seized hun and his companion.
CAMt HoUuNat a court festival, c'rp-
IA thou INTO fortress. end. after "a
neck tiial. had them 10th hehead'd 81
Brussels. The people, convinced OF his
patriotism more by his miserable ili'
DIAN ~ Ms recent behavior, dipped
auGlerch;cfs in his blood as il it were
that Of a MARTYR: and the Dutch Co.ut
must have bad some good quill
tic, oi heart. il the story Of the tragic
nd al bis mistress be- true. Tie dame
johanna Layil is said to have iai,on
down dead at the window OF her house
when the sound Of the aXe-slroke WAS
heard seycring the head OF Egmout,
which seems to show that he Was capa-
bic Of inspiring n profound attachment.
Ava did not rid himself Of the Cross
Eow Guild along with tins itsill uetr'ols
representative BE yainly established
his Council Of Tumults, ~ fortified the
towns which ne had captured. and iii.rd
every prison with Luthclans. The
Iutchuon stuck to their cross-b0w md
tLcir love of liberty; and the time
came at thanks largely to the
brave spirits VINO relnlted this deiunct
association-whf not q single Spanish
spcaIman was left north Of the Mcuse.
We laugh Mt the croSS-bow IN this
age of rifles of precision, NOrdenteldts,
Gatliucs. ard Hotchkisses f.; but the
Wcapon was Il good one III is time.
So vas its sister. the long-bow. with
is clothyard shalt. winged 10y tle
cray-eoOsc feathers, which decided tine
tate Of many a doughty battle. CrcsSy
was Won with the ycw, where i,OJO
ENGLISH archeIs. good bowmen every
one. showcrcd arrows all day upon the
French nobility and covered the field
with slain. The fights Of Poitrrs.
Acincourt. Crcvant, Ncrneuil, and
Rovernav were all gained by twang OF
how-string and silent flight OF steel
tirpcd shaft, which. unless 1t encoun-
tered amor. would bury its feathers in
AN enemy's blood. The European IA
tions could neyorriyal Englishmen with
that noble weapon NaiDly did Charles
e France try to establish his Franc-
Archors. dccrccing that every commune
must supply one bowman to the royal
service. Not even his Genoese and
Scotch merccnalies could keep the
Gallo ranks finn against that terrible
cloud of death poured forth from the
English ranks. every man OF them.
as CHANGER had said, cledde N
cote and lCde of green, with
shaefe Of peacock arrives hrighte and
kene: wei coude he dresse his
takel vewmauhe /" Arrows we're fright
fully dcmoralizine implements to fight
against True, it is related that when
one told Lconidas, at Thermopylp,
that the Persian shafts were 50 numer-
ousas TO obscure the sun, he dryly an
svcled: 1T is well then We shall
fight in the shade Yet to stand and
ste clouds OF whistling, steel-polnted
missiles flying straight at your yltaIs,
and to lear on all sides the sharp,
slight "thud with which theyplump-d
through buff ierkin and quilted cuira 81
into the flesh of your comrades. was q
trial which few regular troops could
long patiently endure. Uncommoniy
correct, too, was the shooting of
trained archers in war Ii We read
the ballad of " Andrew Barton
We nav perceive that the English Lord
commanding the Kings ship summons
to him his two best snots, and conf
IDENTIFY calls upon them to pink the sea
rover, albeit Barton is covered with
Spanish mail. The English bowman
"spies out a secret place." just where
the aImpit showed beneath gorget and
breastplate, and plants his arrow these,
IL. 49,, -. t,ro f.flrpoc ~ a rnnCf ppu-